The Call of the Wild

I hear the howl of the wolf
Mourning
From the shadows of the dying forest
Listen:
Do you hear the wolves howling?

I hear the song of the whale
Beseeching
From the depths of the warming ocean
Hush now:
Do you hear the whales singing?

I hear the cry of the eagle
Pleading
From the heights of the smoking sky
Listen:
Do you hear the eagles crying?

I hear the trumpet of the elephant
Warning
From the swathe of the burning grassland
Quiet now:
Do you hear the elephants trumpeting?

I hear the snort of the buffalo
Deriding
From the breadth of the flooding plain
Listen:
Do you hear the buffaloes snorting?

I hear the saw of the jaguar
Echoing
From the crags of the eroding mountain
Be still:
Do you hear the jaguars sawing?

I hear cough of the kangaroo
Pleading
From the flats of the scorching outback
Listen:
Do you hear the kangaroos coughing?

I hear the honk of the geese
Berating
From the pools of the shrinking wetland
Take note:
Do you hear the geese honking?

I hear the growl of the bear
Cursing
From the floes of the melting iceberg
Listen:
Do you hear the bears growling?

I hear the squeak of the dolphin
Grieving
From the tides of the choking shore
Breathe in:
Do you hear the dolphins squeaking?

I hear the chatter of the ape
Questioning
From the treetops of the receding jungle
Listen:
Do you hear apes chattering?

This is the call of the wild
Inviting us
To take heed and act before it’s too late
Even now:
Do you hear the wild calling?